The Painter with Lisa Robert Lenkiewicz

A Captivating Vision

Robert Lenkiewicz’s “The Painter with Lisa” captures a dreamlike moment frozen in time. The Giclée print showcases the artist himself, depicted in a hunched posture. Upon his back sits Lisa, partially draped in a pink blouse, her blond curls cascading over her shoulders. She looks off to her left. The composition evokes an intimate and enigmatic connection between the two figures.

A Symphony of Colour and Light

The colour palette is subdued, yet rich with nuance. Dark tones dominate, with shades of grey and black creating depth and drama. However, the soft pink of Lisa’s blouse offers a subtle contrast, drawing the eye to her form. Also, it adds a touch of warmth to the overall composition. The lighting is diffused, lending an ethereal quality to the scene.

The Essence of Giclée

The Giclée print technique ensures that the artwork retains its original vibrancy and detail. Every brushstroke is rendered with fidelity, capturing the artist’s original intent. Therefore, it makes this limited edition print a valuable addition to any art collection. This piece invites the viewer to ponder the nature of the relationship between artist and muse.

Unveiling the Enigma

“The Painter with Lisa” stands as a testament to Robert Lenkiewicz’s unique artistic vision. It offers a glimpse into his world of introspection and fascination with the human condition. It serves as a reminder of the power of art to provoke thought and emotion. However, it remains open to interpretation.

Early Life and Influences

Robert Lenkiewicz entered the world in London in 1941. He was the son of refugee parents, running a Jewish hotel on Fordwych Road. The hotel’s residents included several Holocaust survivors, which must have made an impact on him. After seeing Charles Laughton in Alexander Korda’s film, Rembrandt, he was inspired to pursue painting. Lenkiewicz was accepted to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design at 16. Subsequently, he attended the Royal Academy. However, he remained uninterested in contemporary art trends. In contrast, he showed a keen interest in his favorite paintings in the National Gallery.

Embracing the Marginalised

Inspired by Albert Schweitzer, Lenkiewicz opened his studios to anyone in need of shelter. Down-and-outs, addicts, criminals, and the mentally ill congregated there. These individuals became the subjects of his early paintings. Yet, his neighbors did not welcome such colorful characters, so he left London in 1964.

Plymouth and the Vagrancy Project

He spent a year near Lanreath, Cornwall, supporting his family through teaching. Then, local artist John Nash offered him studio space on the Barbican in Plymouth. Once again, the artist’s home and studios became a haven for vagrants and street alcoholics. They often sat for paintings. As their numbers grew, Lenkiewicz commandeered derelict warehouses to house the “dossers.” One of these warehouses also served as a studio. In 1973, it became the exhibition space for the Vagrancy Project.

Public Attention and Staged Death

Lenkiewicz initially gained public attention with his giant mural on Plymouth’s Barbican in the 1970s. Another controversy arose in 1981. He faked his own death to prepare for the forthcoming project of paintings on the theme of death (1982). “I could not know what it was like to be dead,” the artist stated, “but I could discover what it was like to be thought dead.”

Late Career and Legacy

After his first exhibition with an established art dealer, Lenkiewicz’s work achieved increasing commercial success. In addition, he experienced some recognition by the establishment. For example, he received a major retrospective in 1997 at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition was attended by 42,000 visitors.

Lenkiewicz died of a heart attack in 2002, at the age of 60. Despite having painted 10,000 works of ‘national importance’, the British Museum valued his work, he had only £12 cash and owed £2 million.

Since his death, his best paintings have fetched high prices in London auction rooms. David Lee’s obituary called him “one of few serious painters of contemporary history”. He noted, “Robert’s greatest gift was to show us that an artist could be genuinely concerned about social and domestic issues and attempt the difficult task of expressing this conscience through the deeply unfashionable medium of figurative painting.”

In 2008, an auction of his personal collection of his own works, paintings, and library raised £2.1 million. The auction was held by Bearne’s Auctioneers (now Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood) at Westpoint Arena in Exeter.

Lenkiewicz never paid tax nor kept records of his art sales.

In 2009, lawyers finalized his estate valuation after seven years. The estate was valued at £6.5 million, including a £1 million book collection.

Lenkiewicz had 11 children. Alice Lenkiewicz, his daughter, is a painter, poet, and editor of Neon Highway magazine. Another of his daughters, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, is an accomplished playwright with work performed at the Royal National Theatre. Other pupils of Lenkiewicz include Piran Bishop, Yana Travail, Dan Wheatley, Lisa Stokes and Joe Stoneman.

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